Many people in the Oakland County area own a cabin or house or at least know someone who owns one in northern Michigan. Some of these people go on weekend trips, weekly trips, or spend an occasional holiday up there. With opening day on Nov. 15th, many people are already starting to prepare for their trip to northern Michigan whether they are a usual traveler to the area or not.

In 2017, according to mlive.com, over half a million hunting licenses were distributed to people all over the state of Michigan. Compared to the year 2000, where Michigan had almost 800,000 hunters. Still, hundreds of thousands of Michiganders go out hunting every year and most if not all can’t wait till they can go again every year.

Two people who have been planning a hunting trip in Onaway, Michigan this coming Nov. 15th are Colin Swanson and Ronnie Savage. Savage added, “I can’t wait till me and Colin are on the Swanson residence waiting for a 12 point buck to stumble into our path.”

“Hunting Works” has made a rough estimate that one hunter alone can spend about $4,400 per year on things regarding hunting. This includes items such as ammunition, arrows, or gas to get where you’re going  to hunt.

The money gained from Michigan’s hunting season is beneficial for the economy. Between the different types of licenses and tourists that come to the state for the hunting, Michigan’s hunting industry has potential to bring in billions each year.

Although Swanson and Savage are both avid hunters, and try to go hunting close to every year who also both scored excellently on their hunters safety tests, they are still yet to acquire their renewed hunting license due to insufficient funds. A hunting license in Michigan varies in cost based on your age, residence and whether you have taken a safety course or not.

If you’re interested in obtaining a hunting license in the state of Michigan, there are some things that you need to accomplish first. You must have a hunters safety certificate (except if you were born before June 1, 1980) as well as one or more of these items: A valid Michigan Driver’s License, or state of Michigan ID card issued by the Secretary of State or a DNR Sports card (issued through either licensed agents or mdnr-elicense.com). You are able to find more information regarding licenses at the website Michigan.gov.